Formation testing device



Feb. 6, 1951 c, 5, BROWN 2,540,423

FORMATION TESTING DEVICE Filed June 24, 1948 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 01 m N 3 N a do. BROWN awucmiov Feb. 6, 1951 c. c. BROWN FORMATION TESTING DEVICE Filed June 24, 1948 2- Sheets-Shee't 2 wlm 1 ZVAQNA iifl FIG.4

FIG] I 6.0. BROWN INVEN TOR ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 6, 1951 FORMATION TESTING DEVICE Cicero C. Brown, Houston, Tex. I Application June 24, 1948, Serial No. 35,012

9 Claims.

1 This invention relates to a device for testing earth formations for their contained fluid, such as oil, gas or water.

In wells drilled for the production of oil or gas, itis now common practice to test the various formations along the well for their productive possibilities before final completion relative longitudinal movement between the tubing and the packer employed in effecting setting and release of the packer. The valve structure may include independently operable check valve means to close the tubing against entrance of fluid from the well until opening of the well, in order that the formation having the best productive potentialities may be selected for final completion. Testing of such wells must normally be conducted while the borehole is filled with fluid such as weighted mud in order to prevent blowing-out of the well under the pressure of the formation fluid. The presence of such extraneous fluids makes for considerable difficulty in making adequate tests of the formations and obtaining accurate results from the tests.

Conventional testing devices employ a packer to seal off the well casing above the formation to be tested. The casing opposite the formation tested will ordinarily have been perforated to provide communication between the interior thereof and the formation under test. The packer will usually be run into the casing on a string of tubing which extends below the packer and has attached thereto a device, which, after the packer has been set, may be opened to provide communication between the interior of the tubing and the formation undergoing testing by suitable manipulation of the tubing. The tubing will normally be empty, so that upon being opened, the higher pressure fluids in the formation will flow into the interior of the tubing and discharge therethrough to the surface for measurement or other suitable determination of its character and volume.

Considerable difficulty of one sort or another has heretofore been experienced with such conventional testing devices and the present invention has for its principal objects the provision of improved forms of a formation testing device which are of relatively simple construction; which are easy to operate; and which permit the making of accurate tests of formations in the presence of hydrostatic fluid present in the well during testing.

-of the test valve.

These and other more specific objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying More specifically this invention is directed to drawings which illustrate useful embodiments in accordance with this invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates one embodiment mation testing device in accordance with this invention, showing the device in a well with its parts in the closed position prior to the setting of the packer on which it is run;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the position of the parts when the device is opened to communication with the well;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the valve mechanism by which the testing device is opened and closed, showing the valve in the closed position;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the formation testvalve in its open position;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal partly sectional view of another embodiment of the testing device in accordance with this invention, showing the position of the parts when the device is in the closed position;

Fig. 7 is a View similar to Fig. 6 showing the operating parts in the open position; and

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view along line 8-8 of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings: There is shown.

(Figs. 1 and 2) a well I lined with a casing 2 which has been perforated at 3 to provide communication between a formation t, being tested, and the interior of the casing. The device, in accordance with this invention, will ordinarily be-run in the well on one of the conventional production type well packers, indicated generally by the numeral 5. The latter consists of the usual sealing sleeve 6 which is ordinarily constructed of rubber or other rubber-like resilient material which, under end-wise compression will expand radially. Sealing sleeve 6 has connected to its lower end the usual conical mandrel 1 on which are siidably mounted slips 3 which are adapted tobe expanded'radially into gripping of the forv 3 engagement with the casing wall under downward expansive thrust of the mandrel. Slips ii have their lower ends hingedly connected to a tubular cage 9 provided with compressible members iii adapted to frictionally engage the casing. The upper end of sealing sleeve 5 is provided with an annular valve seat ll, and a tube 12 extends axially through the packer assembly. Tube 52, at a point adjacent its lower end, is connected to cage ii by means of a conventional .l-slotand-pin connection, indicated at is, by which tube 52 may be locked to the packer structure or released therefrom, as desired, by suitable manipulation of the tube. The upper end of tube i2 has connected thereto a tubular setting sleeve i carrying an annular valve ring i5 on the exterior thereof which is complementary in shape to seat I l and adapted to cooperatetherewith to open and close the annular opening it between the packer and tube E2 in response to appropriate longitudinal movement or" the latter. The upper end of setting sleeve id is connected to the usual string of tubing i? which it will be understood extends to the surface and serves not only for passage of fluid to and from the interior of the well but also as the tool for setting and releasing the packer in the conventional manner. It will be understood that the packer structure 5 may be of any of the conventional types which are adapted to be run on a string of tubing by the general arrangement described. The details. of the particular pa rer employed do not, therefore, form a part of this invention.

Thetesting device, in accordance with this invention comprises a flow control valve, indicated generally by the letter V (Figs. 1 and 2), for opening and closing tube i2 to communication with the annular space between the tube and casing 2. Test valve V comprises a hollow generally cylindrical valve body I8 having a closed conical end wall l9 arranged in the lower end of tube E2, in a manner to be described hereinafter, and provided with a plurality of ports 2B which extend through end wall H) to provide communicatherewith, into bore 2| and is provided with an axial bore 28 extending from the inner end of end portion 2'5 to a point approximately opposite valve 25. The outer end portion 29 of valve stem 26 has a nut 39 mounted on the outer end thereof. Inner end portion 21 likewise has a nut 3i mounted on the inner end thereof, and a coil spring 32 surrounds end portion 2'! and is mounted in compressionbetween nut 3! and the inner end of seat bushing 22 to normally urge valve 25 toward seat 24. The outer edge of nut 3i i is provided with a plurality of longitudinal slots 33 to permit passage of fluid past nut 33 through bore 2| of the valve body. A plurality of angularly spaced passageways 34 extend generally radially through the wall of inner end portion 2? at a point just inwardly of valve 25 and provide communication between the exterior of inner end portion 2! and bore 28 thereof. The position of passageways 34 on inner end portion 2'! is such An annular valve 25, complethat when valve 25 is in the closed position (Figs; 1 and 3), passageways as will be located within port 23, and will be closed ofi thereby due to the close fit of inner end portion 21 with port 23. In the open position of the valve (Figs. 2 and i), passageways 3 5 will be below and outside of port 23 and will thus provide communication between the exterior of the valve and the interior thereof. Rigidly mounted on one side of the exterior of valve body It and depending therefrom is an arcuate bracket 35 having a narrow longitudinal slot 36 extending upwardly from the lower edge thereof. A dog or pawl 3'! is rockably mounted in slot 38 on a pivot pin 38 extending transversely of the slot. The outer end of pawl 3'! extends outwardly from slot 36 and is provided with a downwardly and inwardly sloping surface 39. The inner end of pawl 31 is provided with a U-shaped yoke 40 which encloses outer end portion 29 of the valve stem and rests on the upper face of nut 30. With this arrangement it will be seen that when the outer end of pawl 3'! is pushed upwardly, yoke 40 will push downwardly against nut 30 against the action of coil spring 32 and pull valve 25 downwardly away from seat 24 and expose passageways 34. Coil spring 32 will act to close the valve whenever upward pressure against. the outer end of pawl 31 is released. An

actuating member for pawl 37 comprises a sleeve structure d! which is rigidly connected to the lower end of the packer structure and extends generally concentrically with the lower end of tube I? for a suitable distance below valve V. A slot 42 is cut longitudinally in one side of sleeve structure to into which the outer end of pawl Bl extends, the upper and lower ends of slot 62 forming abutments 53 and 54, respectively for engaging the end of the pawl in a manner to be described hereinafter. Slot 42 has a width such as to permit circumferential rotation of pawl 3l therein sufiicient to accommodate that degree of rotation of tube 92 which occurs in efiecting release of J-slot-and-pin' connection I3.

It is normally desirable to close the lower end of tube [2 by means of a check valve, in order that fluid may be discharged from the tubing string while preventing uncontrolled entrance of fluid into the tubing from the bottom of the well. The embodiment of this invention illustrated particularly in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, provides such a check valve and conveniently employs test valve V as a portion of the check valve structure. In this embodiment, the lower end of tube 12 is provided with a valve seat bushing i5 which is screwed into the lower end of the tube and is provided with an axial port 46 having its outer end merging into a tapered seat El complementary to the outer face of end wall [9 of valve body 18'. The diameter of seat 41 is such relative to end wall 19, that an annular portion of the latter below ports 20 will engage seat 4? and valve body IE will thereby form the valve closure for port 46.- Valve body It is provided with a stem 48 which extends axially through port so into the interior of tube l2. Stern $3 is slidable axially through a perforate spider @53 mounted transversely of seat bushing and is held against rotation therein by means of a key 58'. The inner end of stem 48 is provided with a nut 5i and a coil spring 52 is mounted about stem 38 in compression between nut 5i and the upper end of spider 6:3. The action of coil spring 52 is to normallyurge and maintain valve body If! into the closed position on seat l'l.

be held out of engagement with casing 2 during the lowering operation. At this time, also, pawl 31 will be out of engagement with the top or bottom of slot 42 and free for movement therein. Under these condition valve V will, of course, be closed. The check valve in the lower end of tube l2, formed by port 115 and valve body i8, will also be closed as the tubing string will normally be kept empty of fluid when running into the well, so that there will be no pressure exerted on the upper face of end wall [9 Which could open this valve against the resistance of coil spring 52. On the other hand, as the well casing will normally be filled with fluid, the check'valve will prevent the entrance of such fluid into the tubing as the structure descends in the well. Fluid in the casing will be largely displaced through annular opening it at the upper end of the packer structure and will flow upwardly into the section of the casingabove the packer.

, When the string of tools ha been lowered to the desired point in the well, as, for example, opposite formation A, tubing string ll will be rotated in the appropriate direction to release J-connection I3, friction members lil holding the packer structure against rotation'in the usual manner during rotation of the tubing. With the J-connection then released, the tubingv string will then be lowered to set the packer in the conventional manner, slips 8 being expanded into gripping engagement with the casing and sealing sleeve 6 expanded into tight-sealing engagement with the casing. In effecting the setting of the packer, valve 55 will descend upon seat it! and close annular opening 16, thereby eifectively sealing off the section of the well below the packer from that above the packer. I

The descent of the tubing string in setting the packer will, of course, be accompanied by corresponding descent of the lower end of tube l2 and the valve mechanism carried thereby. Sleeve El being connected to the packer will remain stationary as the tubin descends. The descent of valve V will cause the endiof pawl 3'! which extends into slot 42 to strike abutment 44 at the lower end of the slot, forcing it in the upward direction (Figs. 2 and causing it to pull stem 25 downwardly bringing passageways 34 below and out of port 23. It will be understood that the length of slot 42 will be so proportioned relative to the length oftravel of tube I2 in setting the packerthat the end of pawl 3'! may descend below abutment (is and slide. down against the wall of sleeve 4| below the slot. The

tapered face 39 on the end of the pawl i provided to permit this movement. The valve will thus be maintained in the open position so lon as pawl 3i is thus held in the upward position I by its contact with the inner face of sleeve 4!.

With the valve thus opened, fluid from the formation under the formation pressure will flow I l to the surface for handling and disposal in 7 ,a perforate spider 66.

i the usual manner. As noted previously, tubing string I! will normally be empty when running? in the well, so that ordinarily there will be a substantial pressure differential favoring the flow of the formation fluids into the tubing.

The described device may be employed merely for testing the production possibilities of the formation or, if desired, it may be left in the well and the well permitted to produce through the valve until production ceases. In either event, whenever it is desired to remove the device, tubing ll will be drawn upwardly from the top of the well to release the packer. This movement will lift the valve mechanism,bringing pawl 31 above abutment $4 and coil sprin 32 will then expand, pulling valve stem 25 upwardly, thereby closing the valve and shutting off communication between the well and the tubing string. When the tubing string has been raised sufficiently, J-connection 53 will be re-engaged in the usual manner and the. entire structure withdrawn from the well. It will be understoodthat the check valve formed by valve body [8 and seat bushing may be employed, when desirable, to force or pump fluid down the tubing string into the well. The downward pressure of such fluid on end wall iii willforce the latter downwardly to open port it for this purpose.

Y Figs. 6, '7 and 8, illustrate another embodiment in accordance with this invention. The packer structure 5 and tube l2 will be the same as in the previously described embodiment and these parts are designated by the same numerals. In this embodiment the test valve includes .a tubular body which is coupled to .the lower end of tube l2 by means of a collar 56 which forms a downwardly facing annular shoulder 5! about the exterior of the upper end of body 55. The latter has an. axial bore 58 registering with the bore of tube 22 and provided with a choke bushing 59 forming a flow restriction in bore 58.

A check valve is provided for the lower end of body 55 and comprises a tubular collar Kill, into the upper end of which the lower end of body 55 is screwed so that the upper edge of collar 6d forms. an upwardly facing annular shoulder ti about the exterior of body 55 spaced from shoulder 51. The lower end of collar 6?] is provided with an axial port 62 having a downwardly and outwardly tapering seat 63. A valve 64 is arranged for opening and closing port 62 and is provided with a stem 65 extending axially through port 62 into the interior of collar fill in which it is guided for sliding movement in The upper end of stem 65 is provided with a nut 61 and a coil spring 58 is mounted in eompression'between nut 61 and the upper end of spider 66 to normally maintain valve 64 in the closed position against seat 63.

The lower portion of body 55 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced ports 10 to provide communication between the exterior of body 55 and its bore 58. A sleeve valve H is mounted for sliding and rotative movement on the exterior of body 55 for opening and closing ports Hi. Packing rings 12 are seated in appropriate grooves on body 55 above and below the ring of ports 10 to provide fluid tight seals between the exterior of the body and sleeve valve H. The latter, being larger in diameter than body 55, forms upper and lower annular shoulders l3 and 14, respectively. A coil spring 15 is mounted about'body 55 in'compression between an ma 7 shoulder 51 and, shoulder "l3, and normally urges sleeve valve, 1 l. downwardly along body '55, to the position for. closing ports. at. Shou der, clv forms.

a-iower stop to limit, the, downward movement of sleeve valve ll. Ports. ll), are so positioned relative to shoulder 61,, that, when sleeve valve u rests on shoulder 6|, ports. It willv beclosed thereby. A pair of, studs 16 extend diametrically Irom opposite sides of sleeve valve ll into re istering elongated slots, Ti provided in. a sleeve. structure .18 which concentrically: surrounds. the,

the valve mechanism. and is rigidly connected.

to the lower end of the packer structure. The widtliof slotsv TI is, only sufiicient to accommodatev studs it for easy sliding movement therein, body 55 being, free to rotaterelative to sleeve valve ll during release of the. packer. The upper; and lower ends of slots l! are closed. by. end; .walls Bil and 79, respectively, to; form stops for studs 16.

This. embodiment operates in the following;

manner: As in the, previously describedembodiment, the valve structure is lowered with the packer, J-connection I3 bein engaged as before to preventmovement of. tube l2 and the The downward. movement of. tube 12 and; the 3 valve mechanism will first bring studs 15 into; contact with stops. 191 in the bottoms of slots Tl, which will stop the, downward movement of sleeve valve H while downward movement of.

tube l2 and valve body 55 will continuefor a sufiicient distance to bring ports 10 below the lower edge of sleeve valve-H andthereby. open bore 58- to. communication with the casing, (Fig. 7 This operation will also serve to compress coil spring'l'fi. Ports 70, now being open, formation fluids will fiow: from the well through. slots- 11:. and ports. 10 into the interior-of body 55. and

thence upwardly through. the tubing string. to.

the surface.

When the packeris: released to remove the structure from, thewell; the upward? movementv of .the tubing effected, in accomplishing: this operation wi-ll'raiserstuds 'lfi'jofi" of stops 'lfiand, as the tubing moves upwardly," coiltispring: l5

will expandto. force sleeve valve; Llv downwardlyagainst shoulder 6i. andv close ports l0; J-connection l3 will: then be re-engagedriandthe entire; structure withdrawn. fromthe well. The. check valve at the lower end of-body 5,51will be available for use as desired in the manner previously described;

From the foregoing; it:-wi1l-be-evidentzthat the devices in accordancegwitn this; inventionwill be opened; for .admissionof, formation fluids only whenthe, packerbecomes; firmly set in the, well. This is important, since itiassures'that'the fluid discharging from the, tubing is fluid from the formations undergoing testing andthereby permits an accurate test of. the production possi-.- bilities of the,-tes,ted -,formations. Moreover, the opening and closing of the test valveis efiected by thevery same operations employed for setting and-releasing the packer, thereby'eliminatlngthe; necessity for additional manipulations J-connection l3 5 of the tools, which, in existing testing devices, is acommon. source of difiiculty and error. Ascordi'n'gly, it will be evident that the devices in accordance with this invention are of relatively simple construction, and are positive and efficientin operation. Itwill be understood that, various alterations and changes. may be made in the details of the illustrative embodiments within the scope of the appended claims. but without departing from the spirit of this invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is;

1. In a system for producing or testing formations along a well employing a packer for sealing the well above said formations and an operating tube extending through said packer for rotative and longitudinal movement relative thereto for setting and releasing said packer, a device for controlling communication between saidtube and said well, comprising, valve means carriedby. saidtube including port means and a relatively. movable closure element therefor, a fixed. element carriedby said packer engageable with. said closure element in response to relative longitudinal movement of said tube relative to said packer to open and close said port means, and independently operable check valve means closing said tube against entrance of fluid therein from said well.

2. In a. system for producing or testing formations along a. well employing a packer for sealing.

the well above said formations and an operating tube extending through said packer for rotative and longitudinal movement relative thereto for setting and releasing the packena device for controlling communication between said tube and said well, comprising, port means arranged in said, tube below said packer, a closure element movably mounted on said tube for opening and closing said port means, an operating member connected to said closure element and extending laterally therefrom, and a fixed stop member supported from said packer in the path of movement of said operating member and engageable therewith upon relative longitudinal movement between said tube and said packer to open and close said port means.

3. In a system for producing or testing formations along a well employing a packer for sealing the well above said formations and an operating tube extending through said packer for rotative and longitudinal movement relative thereto for setting and releasing the packer, a device for controlling communication between said tube and said well, comprising, port means arranged in said tube below said packer, a closure element movably mounted 0n said'tube for opening and closing said port means, an operating member connected to said closure element and extending laterally therefrom, and a fixed stop member supported from said packer in the path of movement of said operating member and engageable therewith upon relative longitudinal movement of said tube to open and close said port means, said stop membercomprising a sleeve structure concentric with said tubeand having a longitudinal slot closed atv its lower end into which said operating member slidably extends.

i. In a systemfor producing or testing formations along a well employing a packer for sealingthe well above said formations and an operating tube extending through said packer for r0ta tive and longitudinal movement relative thereto for setting and releasing the packer, a device for controlling communicationbetween the tube-and said well, comprising, valve means mounted on said tube below said packer including port means and a relatively movable closure element therefor, an operating member connected to said closure element and extending laterally therefrom, resilient means normally holding said closure element in the closed position, and a fixed element carried by said packer engageable with said operating member in response to relative longitudinal movement between said tube and said packer for opening and closing said port means.

5. In a system for producing or testing formations along a well employing a packer for sealing the well above said formations and an operating tube extending through said packer for rotative and longitudinal movement relative thereto for setting and releasing the packer, a device for controlling communication between said tube and said well, comprising, a generally cylindrical valve body mounted in the lower end of said tube having a bore communicating with the interior of said tube, an annular valve seat in the outer end of said valve body, an axially movable valve stem extending through said seat into said valve body, a valve closure mounted on said stem exteriorly of said seat, a passageway through said stem providing communication between the bore of said valve body and the exterior of said stem inwardly of said valve closure, resilient means arranged in said valve body to normally urge said valve closure toward said seat, an operating member connected to said valve stem, and a stop element rigidly supported from said packer engageable with said operating member in response to relative longitudinal movement of said tube for moving said valve closure relative to J said seat.

6. A device according to claim wherein said valve body is mounted for axial movement relacontrolling communication between said tube and said well, comprising, a tubular valve body having its lower end closed connected to the lower end of said tube below said packer, a plurality of circumferentially spaced ports in the wall of said body, a sleeve valve slidable on said body for opening and closing said ports, resilient means normally urging said sleeve valve to a position closing said ports, an operating member extending laterally outwardly from said sleeve valve, and a stop element rigidly supported from said packer engageable with said operating member in response to relative longitudinal movement of said tube for moving said sleeve valve relative to said ports.

8. A device according to claim '7 wherein the closure for the lower end of said valve body cornprises a check valve normally closed against entrance therein of fluid from the well.

9. A formation testing or flow device for wells, comprising, an expandible packer adapted to be inserted in a Well, an operating tube extending through said packer for rotative and longitudinal movement relative thereto for setting and releasing the packer, valve means mounted on said tube below the packer including port means and a relatively movable closure element therefor, an operating member connected to said closure element and extending laterally therefrom, a

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,711,125 Owen Apr. 30, 1929 1,910,079 Ziegler May 23, 1933 2,068,108 Owen Jan. 19, 1937 

